At the Whim of Khan- a Star Trek romance
by MyAxiom23
Summary: KHAN AND OC - ON HOLD - Into Darkness - Danielle Carver was one of the first Augments to be created, alongside Khan and others. When she was not registered with the new order of Augments and had been found, the suspicious Augment council had to find a way to keep watch on her. Khan, seeing something in her, volunteered to take her into his crew, beginning their chronicles together.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello readers! This is sort of like a fun intro to the story, but essentially is a first chapter. Chapter 2 is when the story becomes more dynamic, with Khan growing more interested in the main character!_**

_**BACKGROUND:**__ This story takes place during the Eugenics war, my own version of it - which takes place 20 years after humanity had settled their first colony on mars. The Augments, the race that Khan is a part of, are in control of the world during this time period. The story will eventually end up in the setting of Into Darkness. I hope you enjoy, and please do leave comments letting me know how it sounds so far! I love comments, they __**greatly**__ encourage me to keep writing! It's just that extra boost writers need time to time. Happy reading :)_

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I was born during an era of great genetic engineering, given the name Danielle Carver. The scientists called me Ellie. It was a time when people were being created, to be better, stronger, and smarter. We were called Augments, and I was one of the first ones to be created that survived the genetic testings. They used me for years, along with others, to study our DNA and understand why we our DNA works the way it did, so they could better implement it into other creations.

I never got to meet other Augments, and when the scientists had collected what they wanted, I already had found a new home, away from other Augments like me. It was a very, _very_ isolating world. A Chinese man who was trained in Japanese Martial arts adopted me at 7, as a part of the government testing on Augments. He trained me for years how to be a perfect fighter. It was a part of an experiment to see how we trained, what environment to best train us in, so they could control us better in the end. The man, my sensei and father figure, was named Mao Feng. The other Augments were assigned to other mentors so they could study a broad range of our capabilities.

In the end it was of no use. No matter what the scientists tried to do, the Augments took over, recognizing their superiority almost immediately. It was too late when scientists realized they had made a mistake, in their words, and they tried to control us, but my brethren took over with ease.

Mao hid me, not wanting me to become like those Augments, to keep me from being demonized by the people. It worked well, and by the time I was 30 I easily looked like I was in my early 20s and with the energy of a 18 year old. It was at this time that the Eugenics war had come to an all-time high. The Augment council had been created, with Augments controlling the world and other countries, and they would meet to delegate issues once a month.

This month I was the center of their attention, as they had found me as an un-registered Augment, and they were going to question me about this in person. They wondered if the scientists had created another race of Augments to help take back over, but hopefully my DNA readings would prove otherwise, that I was one of the originals.

I was at the closed entrance to their room, bound and heavily guarded. I would do my best to leave Mao out of this – he only wanted to protect me. Now it was my turn to protect him. My light blonde hair fell into my eyes and I flipped it aside. I wanted to see who these people were, not hide behind my long hair.

The doors opened and I saw 20 Augment leaders, as they had divided the world into 20 regions. They were definitely a motely crew, with different cultures and looks greatly diversifying them…It was quite cool, actually, to see that they were very unique individually.

"State your name," a dark skinned woman commanded, with her extremely black curly hair pulled back, her eyes harsh on me. She must be the court leader. "Danielle Carver. Or Ellie Carver as the scientists called me," I stated with confidence. They all raised their eyebrows, and the woman said, "The scientists? Elaborate," she commanded once again.

"I was one of the originals, and the scientist picked our names. They nicknamed me Ellie," I stated plainly. Her face was one of approval. "Eric, run her files, on the screen," the woman commanded to a man by a computer. My files appeared up on the screen, showing I was not lying, with my picture and all. Did they really need a court hearing for this?

"Alright, that clears up those simply inquiries. Now, Ellie, why are you not registered? Why are you hiding? Are you plotting something?" she asked with suspicion. This was the problem with dictators or tyrants. Their own fears destroyed them in the end, because they knew that controlling people like slaves would not last for forever. It seems they were already scared of people uprising. _This _must be the reason for the court meeting.

"Well," I began, preparing my cover up, "I was training exclusively by myself, with my trainer, and when the Augments rose I left my trainer. I won't lie to you, I enjoyed the freedom after being under the scientist's grip for so long. I hid in the mountains, living a peaceful life. You must know how awful it was to be a constant toy for science." Perfect. I nailed it. I didn't falter once.

Some of the court leader's eyes were impressed, and I knew I had done it just right. I might make it out of this without too much trouble. "Yes, indeed. We are all originals, in this court room…we remember that feeling well…but your disobedience to not register is troubling to us still. I do not trust this. You cannot continue this way of life…no you need to be monitored, to make sure you are telling the truth. Silence her while we deliberate," the woman said, commanding the gaurds. The guards put a mask over my face that ended at my eyes, allowing me to breathe and see, but not talk. An Augment creation. They began discussing, right in front of me.

I noticed a man had kept his eyes on me. He was very handsome, in a very unique way, with cold blue eyes and slicked back hair, hidden under dark clothing. He eyed me carefully as they spoke. They couldn't decide how to best monitor me, with no evidence that I was a traitor, but they all didn't trust my lack of registration. Then the man spoke up, the one who had been watching me carefully.

"I will take her. It will be easy. My crew will be on a very confining ship for the mission I am going on, no-where for her to go, 6 months there and 6 months on the way back, allowing me to watch her very carefully. It is the optimal option in my opinion. She will be surrounded my Augments as well, exposing her to us completely," he said with a much deeper, and more seductive voice than I truly anticipated. I have only heard men with voices like this once every few years. He talked with power too, and seemed very commanding. I was nervous to be under his control, he was incredibly mysterious and being under his control could either go just fine, or I could become like a prisoner to him. I despised being imprisoned...

"I second Khan's motion," said one of the augments, until they all started chiming in, agreeing with this man named Khan, until a majority won. Even his name was mysterious...

"Alright, a vast majority agrees to this motion. Miss Carver, to reinforce that hiding as an Augment is wrong and that we greatly do not approve of it, you will go with Khan on his crew's journey to Mars to gather the Augments that are alive there within the colonies. This is a warning sentence. We do not like losing one of our own, as we age longer, so therefore we reproduce slower, so every one of us counts. You will be briefed in a moment on the mission and what it will require out of you. Do not challenge us, at all, and do not give Khan a reason to bring you back for proper extermination. Behave, follow his every orders, and when you return you will be able to enter back into society as a registered Augment. Do you agree, or would you rather us exterminate you now?" she asked with emotionless eyes. Holy crap! They were so serious about this! I didn't have to think hard about this either, with so little options – a year with this man and his crew, that were my people, or die. It was obvious to me.

The mask was removed from my face and I said, "I agree to join on the mission."

"Very well. Khan, please debrief her on the mission. Then I will administer the rules she is not allowed to break, so she understands, with no doubt, what this mission will require, so as to better her chances of passing our test," the woman said in a monotone voice once again.

Khan straightened up and looked at me now, and very seriously, with a slight hint of amusement, said, "Very well, Aurora. And thank you, everyone, mostly everyone, for agreeing to my motion... Anyway, so, Ellie, 30 years ago, as you know, the first colonies on Mars were created. We weren't aware of it, but the scientists sent 20 Augments to help the people on Mars, especially if something went wrong. Recently they have alerted us that some sort of intelligent beings have been in contact with them, offering a home on their own planet. That's fine, we do not care about the humans, but we cannot allow other Augments to become captives of another species. Especially when we are so close to long-term space travel. If others got a hold of Augment DNA and used it for themselves, it will hurt our chances in our space exploration program we are currently working on. We have advanced the technology for space travel, cutting the travel time in half and creating near perfect space crafts, and they resemble many qualities here on Earth. It will take a full year to go there and back, and we might have to challenge the foreign species of intelligent life. And I will command this mission as captain of the ship." When I realized he was done I nodded slightly, not knowing what else to do. It sounded kinda fun actually, but it was so formal and serious too. This has the potential to be like the movies, or the potential to be really boring. I seriously hoped I wouldn't die of boredom...

"Alright, Miss Carver. Now the rules: One – you must follow all of Khan's orders. He is a councilman and has earned this respect and power properly, we trust his decisions. Two – you treat your fellow Augments with respect, any misdemeanors will be recorded and seriously scrutinized. Three – whatever position on the ship that Khan assigns you to, you do it with pride. And Four – Upon return you will submit to joining your brethren properly, and will be placed where Khan best sees fit, as he will be the only councilman who truly knows you at that point," she instructed me, and I didn't like the idea of being controlled essentially on how Khan perceived me…but it was better than death. Mao would definitely recommend me to follow their request.

"If you are prepared for this, then step forward to me, sign this document, and you will be guided out of here to collect your things from the hotel we put you in, and you will be joining Khan and his crew tomorrow. This is actually perfect timing as they leave in a week, giving you just enough time to get somewhat acclimated to your new life for a year," she ordered and I walked up to her podium, nervous about signing my life away, to Khan, this man that for some reason wanted me on his crew.

Once I had signed the papers, the council was disbanded and I was escorted out, back to the black SUV they drove me in so I could gather my things and say goodbye to Mao. Before the door shut, Khan made his way over and peered in, holding off the driver. He observed me closer, which allowed me to observe him as well. He was calm and collected, and very handsome up close, his dark attire was contrasted by his light skin and light eyes, while they watched me carefully.

"I just wanted to inform you…You will not be needing much, only a suitcase is allowed for each person in the crew. Everything else you would need to be comfortable with on the ship will be provided to you. Many crewmates pack their cases with personal belongings, entertainment items, etc. So pick wisely...otherwise I will see you tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning. Tonight I will also deliberate on where to assign you," Khan said deeply and I especially could notice his wonderful British accent. At least taking orders from him is easier to take with a voice like that.

"Alright…thank you," I said, remembering how I was supposed to be on my best behavior. He nodded to me, and looked at me for a few more seconds before shutting the door. I couldn't wait until the moment of being able to ask why he is taking me presented itself. If his crew is leaving in a week, and I am not a medic, or engineer, or anything of vital importance…then why did he pick me? I just hoped there were some people on the ship I could bond with, because a year, stuck in one place, no matter how large, at the whim of a single person…you can bet I had a horrible time sleeping that night, anxious about what my journey would be like. It was like being a prisoner to Khan, but yet supplied with multiple freedoms at the same time. A unique kind of imprisonment.

Hopefully, he wouldn't be too painful to deal with…at least he was handsome, and his voice was alluring. It was sad out shallow that was, but it was true. You know, this might be fun. I haven't been around other people like this in a long time. Mao and I usually keep to ourselves. There was real potential to enjoy myself on this journey…yes, I should be more positive about this. Suddenly, I couldn't wait for 8:00 A.M. to come, anxious to see what my future held

I hope you enjoyed that! Thanks for reading, Chapter 2 will be here shortly :)


	2. Chapter 2

**_THIS STORY IS ON HOLD FOR NOW - I WILL RETURN WHEN MY BANE SERIES IS FINISHED. Don't worry though, I am still very much in this story, I am just engrossed in my other stories and I want to pay this one the attention and detail that it deserves. I should be back to this one in a month or two :)_**

_Hello! I hope the first chapter was enticing enough, now here is the second one. Please leave feedback if you can, it is greatly appreciated :) Happy reading :)_

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That night was restless, yielding only 2 hours of sleep. I had packed all of my things and had a long goodbye chat with Mao. I would miss him, my trainer and closest thing to a father I would ever get. He wished me luck, and that I had the ability to last this mission, and that he would be waiting for me when I returned.

I was driven to the area where they were prepping the craft. I was not used to the city, as I grew up in a rural setting, and it was crazy how segregated things were between humans and Augments. I knew about this way of life, but I had never seen it so close before. Maybe one day we could live in peace. Hopefully when I got back things would be better, not worse.

We arrived on the outskirts of the city where a huge hangar was located. The size of this hangar was as bigger than the biggest cruise ship. And yet, thinking about being confined for a year in it made it seem small, even though it was far from that. I guess I just had some sort of PTSD from the scientists and their labs…

We arrived through the door and the hangar was buzzing with life. People moving all throughout the hangar, moving into rooms attached to the sides. Then we got out of the SUV and I could see it clearly now – the ship. It was circular with tall engines coming from the top back side. On the bottom it read _Voyager_. The size of this thing was like a small city within itself. Okay, this was pretty cool. My spirits were definitely up at this point.

The driver handed me my suitcase with the things I thought I would need – books, my computer, my tablet, art supplies, and a few other things. If I didn't have something when I originally came here, then I went out the night before and bought what I needed. Then driver suddenly left me, and for a moment I almost called back out to him, not knowing what I supposed to do.

Then I saw him, walking with the council head Aurora. _Khan_. They were walking to me, so at least I didn't have to embarrassingly ask my way around this place. Khan eyed me, examining me, and Aurora was the first to speak, "Hello Miss Carver. I am just here to make sure you made it alright. Please, do enjoy your time on this ship, socialize, and get to know more Augments. Khan will keep you close, he has reassured me, and if all goes well then you have nothing to worry about. Good luck on your voyage, and be careful," she said and nodded to Khan who said, "I will report in before leaving." Aurora didn't say anymore and I was left standing in the middle of the shuffling crew members with Khan.

"Good morning Ellie. It is nice to see you, shall we get started?" Khan asked, with one eyebrow perched up. "Good morning, and alright, sounds good," I replied, curious where we would begin. "Alright, you will be stationed on the ship for the remainder of this week. All crew members are encouraged to stay here for the week to get accustomed to their living quarters, to make sure everything is in proper order. I will show you to yours," Khan said casually and led me to the belly of the ship. It was odd how this was the only spot that didn't contain people, at all. Then a bright light encased us and I took a step next to Khan, never having seen this before and slightly worried about what was happening. Khan looked down at me, smirking, and said, "It's quite alright. It's beaming us up."

Suddenly we were inside the ship, or so I thought, but once I calmed down I realized we were. Wow…Augments really have advanced human technology, haven't they? This was incredible… "Sorry, I didn't know we had this technology yet…" I said with wonder as I looked around. It was a clean, futuristic ship, with all black shiny floors, cleanly shaped light gray walls with lights lining the ceilings. Touch screens and holographic screens were surrounding us as people sat at their stations, working hard to make sure the ship was ready. Everyone had on the same black uniform too, and then a few people with different colors were strewn in too. I kind of liked it and hoped I would get one of those uniforms. Being along for so long made me want to always be a part of a team, and here was my opportunity.

"Don't worry about it, you have been in the human world for far too long. _This_ is where you belong," Khan said, trying already to sway me into the Augment world. I didn't mind my fellow brethren, I just thought it would be nice if they weren't so…controlling, of humans. Mao was the best thing to possibly happen to me, he proved we were the same, I just was slightly more talented with some things. But with my Augments, I guess I could finally feel more normal.

I noticed Khan was much taller than I, maybe about 5 – 6 inches more. He was very fit, and very muscular but not too much muscle. He must have trained in the physical arts at some point like me. He led me down the corridors, passing by many people, as I rolled my suitcase behind us. "So, I thought about it, and reviewed your history and have found a place for you," he began while we walked, captivating me with his voice. "Your main task is to help serve in the field, if anything comes up. Your skills as a fighter are impressive, and females add an advantage at being more nimble and lighter on their feet. You will compliment your male counterparts well. And apparently you're an excellent shot as well…but obviously we are not a war crew, so you will need to be doing other things as well, so I reviewed your files further and saw that you have a lot of experience as an Anthropologist on the side, studying many cultures. I saw you went to university for it, but never acquired a degree…probably because you needed to be registered to obtain one," He said, looking at me through the corner of his eyes now, and a crooked smile etched itself on his face. He thought that was amusing apparently. "Yes, you caught me once again," I said, still saddened that I never got to finish my degree, but I didn't want to sound too off putting.

"No matter, I saw you did well and you will be used to help understand our Augment family on Mars, and to understand this alien race if we need to. We have a small library on board where you can research things, so I recommend doing this at some point before landing. Once we land you are to document all things about them. Otherwise, your daily task is to be an aide to me. I know, it's not fancy, but it is a great way for me to see you on a daily basis, talk to you, and in the end monitor you," he said and we reached a door. So basically a secretary…great. But I hated how it made sense. It ensured daily contact with him, and it did serve as a great way to watch over me. I hated loopholes like that.

He grabbed my hand, and I blushed slightly wondering what was happening, only to realize he was putting it on the screen in front of us. It scanned my hand and said, "Enter, Danielle Carver."

He let go of my hand gently, and I smiled at this technology. It was fascinating, how advanced it was… "Here you are Ellie, your home away from home," Khan said as the doors opened. I saw it was a room with 4 queen sized beds, and dark gray carpeting with a beautiful light green for the walls. The area was very spacious and in the back was another door, probably for a bathroom. I would have to examine it later. Each bed had a large wall space with closet doors made out of an opaque glass and one of them had my name printed simply above it.

"You have three other roommates, who are training right now. But Quarter 23 is where you will be located," he said as he followed me in. "You may leave your things, I will finish giving you the grand tour," he said. His voice was probably never going to grow old, I could tell. I took this moment of solitude as a chance to ask my question. I looked up at him and saw the cold eyes, there was a hint of warmth, but also a grand sense of coolness to them. It intimidated me, but I asked my question anyway, "Why did you take me on your crew? But I guess I should thank you for it too, though... This is a much more fun, and interesting, option than _extermination_," I said, with light mockery to the meeting. He smirked, and I could tell he enjoyed that last part. Good, because if it was Aurora, she probably would have wrote it as a misdemeanor. I need to watch myself more when speaking to him…

"Well, you can never have too many pretty women on a ship for starters…um, let's see…and I have to admit, the small comment about freedom, hit home to me. It intrigued me. I understood you completely about that comment, because I, too, felt tremendous relief when we had been freed from the scientists. Aurora is suspicious, like many others, but I understood your need of that liberty. Other council members can be rough, and I knew they'd give you a mundane sentence. I am second in command next to Aurora, so I knew if I spoke up, many would follow. I guess, in the end, I didn't want to see you be punished for something I longed for once myself," Khan said, and a sense of complete seriousness took over the room.

I blushed in the beginning, he had complimented me. Living alone with Mao meant very little contact with potential men who could be suitors, meaning I was usually extra sensitive to compliments, especially if they were from an attractive guy. Mao laughed at me once when I received the first flirt from a boy that had a crush me. I squealed and ran off when he kissed my cheek. Mao made sure to never let me forget that, always finding a soft way to make it into a joke…I could already tell I was going to miss my Sensei.

But khan's answer was relieving, because he had the ability to feel what I felt, making me realize that we already had something to bond over. Which meant when I got home I had a huge chance to be free. Thank goodness too... "Well, thank you again. I appreciate it more than you know," I said and made sure he felt my gratitude. "It isn't a problem, I hope you enjoy it here," Khan said and his eyes softened a bit. I guess being captain meant you had to conceal your emotions a lot of time.

Then a girly laugh filled the room as two women walked in. One was Asian looking, with her hair pulled back, leaving her black bangs to fall on her forehead. The other one was European looking with dark brown hair, leaving it to fall carelessly around her shoulders. They both had on dresses that were blue. Are these my roommates? They look nice…hopefully they are nice…

Their faces dropped their emotions at the site of Khan. "Captain, we are sorry, we had no idea you were in here," the brown haired girl said. Oh right, I should probably call him captain from now on.

"At ease ladies. I was just showing Ellie her new room. Ellie, these are your two roommates, Janet and Saya. You will have time to mingle later though, I am going to show Ellie around more," Khan instructed and the two women smiled kindly in my direction. We all exchanged hellos and I was off with Khan again.

"Oh yes, this is a good time to explain your uniform. They were dressed in Blue because they are from the medical department. They are both top doctors here. Your other roommate's name is Erin, she will be wearing a yellow dress signaling she is in the engineering department. You will wear a black dress, signaling your place with the head of commands. This is because you serve me and will be leading some of the people once on Mars, since you have physical training and your knowledge about the planet will be useful once you learn more. You'll get used to the meanings of clothes here. There are many people onboard so this color coding helps people identify one another," Khan said as we walked again. That was interesting to know…but then I realized this ship is huge, almost too big just for a stroll to collect people.

"Why is the ship so big, for a retrieval mission?" I asked, feeling entitled to ask the question. Although I immediately worried it wasn't my place though, once I asked. Khan smiled once again, "Well…I suppose you will find out sooner or later, being my aide and all…we plan, heavily, to encounter alien species, and we have no idea how it will do. We might be stuck in space for a little longer than a year, or we might need to represent our kind, either way we need a large crew to keep this place running, and prepared for anything," he said as we approached a larch archway, which led to a humongous room with a series of bridges overlapping one another. The bridge we were on apparently was the main bridge because it rounded out to a large circle with many seating areas. The area smelled delightful, like food was cooking.

"This is the commons area. On each level of bridges is a place of relaxation, food, activities, the library, and what have you. This ship is also a test to see if we can manage having a crew this large function with sanity. In the future this will enable long voyages for trekking through space," Khan said, and I could hear pride in his voice. It must be amazing to be captain of all of this…

He showed me other places, like the medical wards, the control room where he piloted, and then we went to his room. It was a rather quiet walk, with small talk about the ship, but it was nice to feel less imprisoned then I thought I would be.

"This is my living quarters. Only me, you, my main medic, and my second in command have access in here," Khan said and that made feel a little special. But again, it made sense. He had to monitor me. "I'll show you inside. Put your hand up again," he said and I didn't hesitate, wanting to see it work again. "Enter, Danielle Carver," the female voice said again.

We entered the room and it was so amazing, and I was so jealous. It looked like an apartment, with hardwood floors, one wall made of brick, a living quarter, a tiny kitchenette, and a grand wall to the left, which was a wall that acted like a perfect holograph and was showing the forest, and I think it was in the mountains, as if it were a mere window. It was so…cozy, in here.

"Wow, Kh-captain, this is incredible…" I said and felt like I was walking into his house.

"In the back is the door to my actual sleeping quarters. Do knock before entering if I ever need you to come in. Otherwise you will mostly deliver me things that I need, sometimes even my meals, but we have carriers that make that easier for you, you can bring food for you if you ever wish. Part of my job to also get to know you. Mostly though, you will bring me documents that I need to be reading during this time period that you will learn how to retrieve before this week is over. I don't have time to find all of them or get them from the people that make them," Khan said and I couldn't help but feel a little silly that he had me join just to be his secretary. But, then again, I didn't fully belong anywhere else on this ship, other than what he already said. But then I'd just be doing nothing all day.

"Oh, and lastly, if any relationships are to occur while on this crew, it has to be approved by me. This happens easily on tight places like this. It could be dangerous if those two people work closely together, dated and broke up, like two engineers or a co-pilot and driver. If I catch a relationship going under my nose it's received by a strong punishment. So be careful with this rule – remember, you need my good word in the end," Khan said, and at first I thought it was harsh, but then it made perfect sense, I guess. He was right, if a two people were dating that required a good relationship in the first place…and then broke up…well that wouldn't be good. In the end we are a ship's crew, not going back in time to high school.

"Alright, although I don't think you'll have to worry about me. I haven't dated much, at all, and I doubt that will happen on here," I said truthfully. Although stranger things have happened to me. "Oh I don't know, you've already caught the eyes of a few men, I noticed," Khan said, eyeing me closely, as if wondering how I'd react. My face was surprised, honestly, as I didn't expect that.

"Oh, well, I hadn't noticed it…Thanks for the warning, then," I replied. I hadn't even noticed any other men, being too preoccupied with this ship, and with Khan.

He had told me to go back to my quarter and put on my uniform. He gave me a wrist watch communicator that he would use to contact me with. I went through the places he showed me in my head over and over so I would remember them.

The week passed quicker than I thought, and I found the library and explored the shop more. I didn't see much of Khan until the night before we were ready to head off. He wondered if I was doing okay, and he told me don't get used to going days without seeing him. Who knows, maybe by the end of this trip I would find a place in society where I belonged…and maybe I could advance in rank here. Either way this trip was going to very, very interesting. I could tell already…

**KHAN's POV**

I was showing her the way around the ship, how it worked, why it worked, and the places she needed to remember. I don't know why she struck so much interest in me…it was her look, her pretty face, and her reason for not registering. I admired it greatly, and it made her stick out amongst other Augment females, or just Augments in general. Many took advantage of us overthrowing humans, but she hid in the mountains, seeking true freedom. She hadn't been around Augments all her life, and it was refreshing to see her not being so consumed with petty things. I guess I liked her because in the end, she was refreshing.

While we walked, a few of the passing male crewmen had eyed her, and I was already worried about having to monitor this. I didn't need her dating someone right off the get go, especially since I couldn't control it. I didn't want her to do anything stupid just for a relationship, because I didn't want the council members to punish her. If all went well I thought about making her a full time member of the crew. And I had to admit it, I didn't like the other crewmen looking at her that way. It irked me, ever so slightly, but it still irked me. It's like I was possessive already over the rare Augment. The Augment that was not obsessed with power and domination, and I didn't want to lose that rare gem to another male on the first day.

I was different, like her, and mostly lived for my crew. Within the 500 members was a small group of 80 that were my original crew from a previous voyage. While we advanced space technology, I took the position in the council, hoping to help the Augments realize that we need to put our efforts in science and technology, not obsessing over human control.

When she asked why I chose her I answered honestly. It was quite nice that Ellie was also very beautiful, which complimented the inner beauty I had seen. Hopefully she would just get more interesting…so far Ellie seemed to be innocent, and I wasn't going to let the others punish her for that.

When I took her to my room I smiled at her amazement with technology. She wasn't lying about being in the mountains. I even put the screen of the woods up to see how she'd react. If she was lying, then it wouldn't affect her, but it did, revealing the truth in her statement.

I then told her about the relationship policy. There was that annoying feeling again, that feeling of not wanting another man to enter a relationship with her so suddenly. Ellie was a gem, and I knew it, and I wanted to learn more about her. She was a martial artist, like myself, and that honestly surprised me, but made me all the more interested. I decided if any relationship tried to abound, especially early on, I'll just have to deny it from them. At least not until I understood Ellie more, and why I prized her presence so much.

At least I had a year or more to figure it out…


End file.
